


Family Ties Redux

by wheel_pen



Series: Daisy [5]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Alternate Universe, F/M, Naughtiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-05
Updated: 2013-05-05
Packaged: 2017-12-10 11:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/785622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheel_pen/pseuds/wheel_pen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bonnie, Daisy, and Elena discuss the story Caroline is spreading about Stefan, Damon, and Katherine; Damon and Daisy flirt at the Founders Party, but are interrupted by Elena, furious about how he’s treated Caroline. “His rebellious veneer hides a wealth of insecurities. Sadly many bad boys don’t really have the courage of their convictions.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Ties Redux

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Daisy, my original character, moved to Mystic Falls about a year ago. There is something special about her.
> 
> 2\. This series begins with the first season of the TV show and completely diverges about halfway through the first season. Facts revealed later on the show might not make it into this series.
> 
> 3\. Underage warning: This series may contain human or human-like teenagers, in high school, in sexual situations.
> 
> 4\. The bad words are censored. That’s just how I do things.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this AU. I own nothing and appreciate being able to play in this universe.

“Blushing Bride or Naughty Vixen?” Bonnie asked, taking two nail polish bottles out of her bag.

“I hate to say it, but Blushing Bride would probably look better on me,” Daisy decided, holding the bottle next to her skin.

“We could try mixing the two,” Elena suggested, fetching them some sodas from the fridge.

“Ooh, bold,” Bonnie commented approvingly. Then she shot Elena a look that was slightly guilty, flicking away just as Elena caught it.

She’d been wanting to tell Elena something ever since she walked into the house. But Daisy had arrived before she got the chance, and now it was just eating at her, Elena could tell. They both _liked_ Daisy, of course, but whatever Bonnie had to say was obviously confidential.

“Oh, we’re out of soda,” Elena said suddenly, staring at the full shelf in the fridge. “Bonnie, can you help me get some more from the garage?”

Bonnie started to rise. “Sure—“

“Did Caroline tell you what Damon told _her_ about Stefan and Katherine?” Daisy asked nonchalantly, and the other two girls froze.

“What?” asked Elena, with considerable interest.

Bonnie sat back down. “She told _you_ , too?” she asked in surprise.

“Caroline likes to tell what she knows,” Daisy observed with a shrug. “I expect that’s why Damon told her, to ensure it would eventually reach Elena’s ears.”

It hadn’t yet, but it was about to. “What?” Elena asked the two of them seriously, sitting down at the table.

Bonnie gave Daisy a pained look. “Caroline said Damon told her not to tell _anyone_ ,” she pointed out dubiously.

“Reverse psychology,” Daisy opined.

“Guys. _What_ about Stefan and Katherine?” Elena insisted. Much as she didn’t want to pry into Stefan’s obviously painful past, the mystery surrounding his deceased ex-girlfriend was beginning to gnaw at her. She’d told him all about Matt, after all; he could at least say _something_ about this Katherine.

Bonnie looked at Daisy, as if asking which of them should tell the story. Daisy shrugged, ceding authority. “Well, Caroline didn’t know many details,” she cautioned Elena.

“Convenient, isn’t it,” Daisy remarked cynically.

“But she said that Katherine dated both Stefan and Damon, and she chose _Damon_ ,” Bonnie went on in a worried tone. “And Stefan was so angry, he did terrible things to try and break them up, lying and manipulating.”

“ _What?_ ” Elena interjected with a deep frown.

“And for a while it worked and Katherine went back to him,” Bonnie continued. It wasn’t that she necessarily believed all this herself, but she believed that _Caroline_ believed, and she wanted Elena to be aware of it. “But then she figured it out and broke up with him. And then she died in the fire.” This sequence of events left the listeners with the sinister and chilling suggestion that Katherine’s tragic end was not so accidental, and Elena wasn’t sure what to say in response.

“And did all this happen before or after Stefan got his driver’s license?” Daisy asked, boredly filing her nails in preparation for the manicure.

“Daisy,” Elena said, for no discernible reason.

“I mean, yeah, that’s exactly what Caroline told _me_ ,” Daisy agreed, “but it’s a little far-fetched, don’t you think? A little over-dramatic?”

“It _does_ kind of sound like one person’s take on it,” Elena agreed slowly, meaning Damon of course. But her experience with truly mean-spirited, manipulative people had been rather limited; up until now she considered this a good thing.

Bonnie shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe so,” she admitted. “But I just thought you should know about it. How much do you really know about either of them?”

“That _is_ a good point,” Daisy conceded. “Of the two, I’d trust Stefan more,” she added, thoughtfully. “Since he gave you that necklace.”

Elena automatically clutched the silver ball around her neck. “My necklace?” she repeated quizzically.

“ _And_ he didn’t trash Caroline and try to kiss you in the parking lot,” Bonnie added.

“That’s true,” Elena sighed. She reached for a nail file. “And I thought Matt’s sister was complicated.”

Bonnie could see she wanted to change the subject. “Daisy, did I see you getting cozy with _Caleb Marston_ in the hall yesterday?” she asked the other girl in a teasing voice.

“You did,” Daisy agreed with a sly grin. “He’s no ‘Sexy Older Danger Guy,’” she added, repeating Bonnie’s earlier description of Damon, “but he’ll do for the moment.”

“Isn’t he kind of, um—“ Elena was trying to think of a delicate way to put it. “He hangs out with the smokers, doesn’t he?”

“Smokes, drinks, drives a motorcycle without a helmet, probably not far from getting a juvenile arrest record,” Daisy told them matter-of-factly. “He is a Bad Boy, trademark.”

Bonnie and Elena made eye contact. For a studious, hard-working, helpful girl, Daisy certainly liked boys who appeared to be the exact opposite. But as she would be the first to say, she wasn’t planning on a long-term relationship with them. Elena couldn’t decide if she thought that attitude was refreshingly liberated, or sadly cynical.

“Is he coming with you to the Founders Party?” Bonnie asked.

“That’s the plan,” Daisy agreed. “But if he wimps out I’ll show up alone. His rebellious veneer hides a wealth of insecurities. Sadly many bad boys don’t really have the courage of their convictions.”

And Elena and Bonnie didn’t really know _what_ to say to that.

**

A little bit later the three girls had moved on to hair and clothes when the phone rang. Elena was surprised to hear Mrs. Lockwood’s voice on the phone; and when she finally hung up she angrily marched into Jeremy’s bedroom and knocked his headphones off. She didn’t _truly_ believe he would sell the family pocket watch to buy drugs—but then again, isn’t that what drug addicts _did_? Broke every rule of socially acceptable behavior, let nothing like sentiment or thoughtfulness or decency stand in the way of their next fix. If Jeremy wasn’t that far gone _yet_ , he might be later. Or one of his druggie friends might steal it from his room for the same purpose.

“I mean, he _says_ he wants it because it’s supposed to go from father to son,” she repeated in a low, frustrated tone to the other two girls, “but I just—I just don’t know him anymore.”

Bonnie made noises of sympathy—she knew all about unreliable relatives—but Daisy was more interested in examining the watch itself. “This is quite a valuable object,” she noted, and her tone made the others look at her suddenly. “I’d keep it someplace safe, if I were you,” she added cryptically. “I think Jeremy’s motives seem purer than Mrs. Lockwood’s.” She handed the watch back to Elena with a shrug, as though it was no big deal either way, and went off to curl her hair, leaving Elena staring down at the antique timepiece thoughtfully.

**

Damon was in a good mood. The large, ugly crystal rested firmly in the breast pocket of his shirt; he fought the urge to keep touching it, reassuring himself that it was there. Caroline had been useful for once this evening, mainly in getting Stefan to dance with her but also, he trusted, in spreading his story about Katherine to the right ears. At least he surmised this from the pathetic look Stefan had given him when Elena broke away from his embrace and stomped off. The DJ was right in his ear so he couldn’t hear what had been said, but the disharmony he’d witnessed—after plying Elena with his own heart-wrenching history lesson and apology—also lightened his spirits.

And now Daisy was walking towards him, a knowing smirk on her face. She was wearing golden mustard yellow, a shade he wouldn’t have chosen to encourage which nonetheless looked far better on her chocolatey skin than mustard and chocolate had any right to. He also would’ve gone with a shorter skirt and a lower neckline, but she made the most of what she had.

“Did you play with Barbies as a kid?” she asked him, which as a greeting was so unexpected he forgot the suave line he’d prepared.

“What?” he sputtered instead.

“The way you’re staring at me, I thought you wanted to give me a makeover,” she added coyly.

Damon grinned, relaxing. “I have a strong aesthetic sense,” he claimed. “Artistic soul.”

“Mmm,” she replied cryptically, trailing her hand over a fragrant white flower on the vine beside them. “I thought your specialty was history.” He raised an eyebrow. “Overheard you telling Elena about the ‘original’ Salvatore brothers fighting over a girl. Rather thinly-veiled parable, don’t you think?”

_Crazy girl from a crazy family_ , he reminded himself firmly. “What do you mean?”

“And with such a grisly ending,” she went on. “You should’ve told Elena the girl eventually fell for the elder brother, they got married and lived happily ever after. And the line begot _you_.”

Now Damon smirked at her. “Are you suggesting that I would _make up_ a tragic story from my family history, just to get a girl’s sympathy?”

“Are you suggesting you _wouldn’t_?” Daisy teased in return. “You wouldn’t be the first. Caleb told me he has to steal cash from his mom to make sure his little brothers get fed.”

Daisy had a delightfully dark sense of humor, which Damon appreciated. “Some guys will say anything to get into a girl’s pants,” he cracked. “Where is Misdemeanor Ken, anyway?”

Daisy laughed unexpectedly at this insult and he felt a thrill of victory go through him. “He may be off trying to smoke Mrs. Lockwood’s rose bushes,” she commented boredly, “or perhaps polishing his motorcycle with a silk napkin.”

“You don’t sound very satisfied with him,” Damon observed. This gave him more delight than he wanted to examine right now.

Daisy shrugged and Damon realized she’d drifted closer. “I’m afraid the usual high school barbarian just isn’t cutting it for me these days,” she confessed.

“Ambitious girl,” he murmured. They were half-hidden from the rest of the crowd by the trellis of lush vine and it wouldn’t take too much maneuvering to make that _fully_ hidden. “Maybe you should stick to the shallows, though. You wade out too far, you might—“

“Get bit?” He blinked at her rapidly. “By a shark,” she clarified, the flirtatious mood breaking down. “Deep water, sharks—“

“I was going to say ‘drown’,” Damon revealed, “but we can go with the shark metaphor if you prefer.”

“Florida coastal resident,” Daisy explained of herself. “We do a lot of shark imagery. I understand around here you prefer vampires.”

And now Damon _really_ froze. There was only so far his mantra about her eccentric and dysfunctional upbringing could take him. “What?” he asked after an awkward pause.

Daisy indicated back towards the house. “The Founders Room display? That journal they have out, the first Mayor Lockwood’s? Weird references to people he calls ‘vampires.’ My guess was Northern carpetbagger types or war profiteers—“

“They have it open to that entry?” Damon asked with disbelief.

“I may have leafed through a few pages,” Daisy admitted, not very contritely.

“You’re not supposed to touch,” Damon chided her flirtatiously, relaxing again. There were a lot of places he could have gone with that, but for some reason the most important question that came to mind was—“Did your mom find a new job yet?” Not really romantic, that. But the appreciative way Daisy smiled in response made him think he was on the right track.

“Not yet, but she’s interviewed at the bank, and I’m confident she’ll be hired,” Daisy informed him.

Well didn’t _that_ seem like a horrible idea. “Which bank?” he wanted to know. So he could make sure his money wasn’t in it.

Daisy chuckled as if reading his thoughts. “Don’t worry, she’s not really clever enough to steal from a bank without getting caught,” she assured him. “And I’m sure my grandma would object to going on the lam.”

He found himself grinning for no particular reason. “What do you say we ditch this tea party and—“ The unmistakable sound of angrily-stomping heels caught his ear and he turned around just as Elena grabbed his sleeve, her face a mask of fury. Daisy ducked fully behind the trellis out of sight.

“Listen to me, you sick son of a b---h,” Elena snarled at him, and his jaw dropped as he half-expected her to sprout fangs and blood-red eyes. “You stay away from Caroline! I’ve seen the bruises you gave her. You stay away from her or I will tell her mother all about it—her mother the _sheriff_.” With that fierce warning issued Elena pounded away, plunging into the dance floor crowd.

Damon stared after her, his mind working furiously. Clearly Caroline had reached the limit of her usefulness, but how could her sudden death or disappearance _not_ provoke suspicion now, at least in Elena’s mind, and she was the one person he couldn’t compel and really didn’t want to kill—

“So… what was that?” asked Daisy from behind him.

D----t, make that _two_ people, about one and a half more than he was comfortable with. Slowly he turned around to face Daisy’s curious gaze. He knew he needed to find Caroline _right now_ , but somehow he couldn’t make himself just brush Daisy off and leave.

“Um,” he began inelegantly, and she raised an eyebrow. People took being a… physically assertive boyfriend so seriously these days. And really they were mostly bite marks, which fell into that grey area of morality for vampires. Which wasn’t something he cared about anyway, of course—“Misunderstanding,” he finally babbled. “Caroline, she—um—she’s very adventurous—“ Daisy’s other eyebrow went up. “—bruises easily, like—um—“ He honestly could not tell what Daisy was thinking, and it worried him that he cared. “I gotta go,” he finally said, giving up. He’d come up with a plausible explanation later.

**

“Elena, are you okay?” Daisy asked minutes later, seeing her friend’s agitated state. Of course, she knew she wasn’t.

“No!” Elena hissed, then tried to keep her voice down in the crowd. Though really, she thought, she ought to shout it from the rooftops, make sure everyone knew just exactly what kind of psychopath Damon Salvatore was—She saw Daisy looking at her expectantly. “Caroline—she has bruises—and—bite marks—all over her.” The bite marks made it seem even more uncomfortably salacious. “Damon’s been hurting her. I can’t believe I ever thought maybe he was right—“ She bit her lip and looked back across the dark lawn to the pond where Stefan had been standing. He was gone now, of course.

“You didn’t know,” Daisy soothed. “Caroline kept it a secret.”

Yes, Daisy was right, and Elena felt a little better hearing it. But then—“I told Stefan, tried to apologize for doubting him—well, that wasn’t the main thing of course—but he _knew_ about Damon and Caroline,” she revealed, confusion and bitterness in her tone. “He said he was taking care of it, and that I should _trust_ him. But—“

“It can be hard to trust someone who doesn’t open up to you the way you’d like,” Daisy agreed sagely. “But is that really a reason to _distrust_ him? He hasn’t known _you_ very long, either. Perhaps his experiences have taught him not to share too much.”

Given the whole mysterious debacle with Katherine—not to mention having a psychopath for a brother—Elena could believe that. But she didn’t have time to focus on her own problems right now, not with her friend in trouble. “I have to find Caroline,” she decided.

“I’ll come with you,” Daisy offered. “I’ve got some mace.”

Elena blinked at her as they headed off across the dark lawn. “Why do you have mace with you?”

“I like bad boys,” Daisy reminded her with a shrug, “but they need to know their place.”

Elena decided not to think about that anymore right now. “Look, over there—“ She thought she’d seen a group of people silhouetted in the moonlight, but when she looked again there was only one. “Caroline!” she called, jogging towards her friend. “Are you okay? Oh my G-d, is that--?” Elena’s stomach knotted as a dark stain at Caroline’s throat caught her eye.

“No, she’s fine,” Daisy countered in a soothing tone, stroking Caroline’s blond hair. Elena looked again and realized it had been only a shadow, and she cursed herself for giving in to hysteria. Caroline was shaking like a leaf, and she needed her friends to be strong for her.

“Shh, Caroline, you’re okay now,” Elena said, embracing the other girl. She only hoped this was true.


End file.
